I’ll tell you, the Mitsubishi Carisma didn’t exactly slay the European market when it went on sale a decade and a half ago. Simply, it wasn’t popular. Then a regional car maker in China tried to take the design from Mitsu and make a version to sell to the Chinese in 2005. It wasn’t popular there neither, even at a price of just $10,000. It, as they say, “lacked quality to make a mark” in the Chinese market. O.K. then.

Should California and the feds give you tax credits to buy this thing if all Coda Automotive is going to do is raise the price sky high?

What a POS this thing is. Just look at it. In some ways better, and in some ways worse than your sister’s ’94 Honda Civic:

Now, they’re going to have a showroom in the bay area soon and they’re going to let you take a test drive starting next month. Fine, test drive the thing, I don’t care. But don’t give them a deposit, don’t encourage them.

All right, what about the all-electric Nissan LEAF, the Coda Sedan’s arch-rival? The LEAF is better and cheaper.

Here’s what an overly-excited CODA fan was saying about the LEAF last year:

Why does the CODA cost so much more than the Chinese design it’s based upon?

Here’s another question:

How on Earth can people call the CODA an American car if the bulk of it, the glider (basically the entire car except for the battery/transmission) is made in one factory in China and the giant battery is made in another factory in China? What’s that, you wait for the boats to arrive in L.A. County Contra Costa? Solano?, Alameda? (one of them counties anyway) and then slap the battery and various whatnots inside the glider and that’s your “final assembly” in America? I cry foul.

Let’s face it, the Coda Sedan is a Chinese car, whether you like that or not.

Henry “Hank” Paulson – former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, former Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs and special representative of the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue[23]

Mack McLarty – (Thomas “Mack” McLarty) Former Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton, President of McLarty Associates and McLarty Companies, a transportation business based in Little Rock, Arkansas[23]

Dr. Michael Wang – Manager of the Systems Assessment Section of the Center for Transportation Research at Argonne Labs, serves as a senior advisor to the Chinese government on new vehicle technology and alternative energy production

Henry “Hank” Paulson – former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, former Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs and special representative of the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue

Thomas F. Steyer – Managing Director of Hellman & Friedman, a San Francisco private equity firm; Founder, Co-Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Farallon Capital; member of the Board of Trustees of Stanford University

Woo C. Lee – Head of Asia for the advisory firm JL Thornton & Company, formerly a U.S. diplomat at American embassies in China, Japan, Australia and Southeast Asia

Why on earth are we subsidizing the totally crummy CODA Automotive electric car company? It baffles me. What makes it a good company, what makes it worthy? Nothing.

Anyway, here’s the latest, as expected, the first recall notice has come early, before CODA even delivered 100 cars worldwide.

Here’s their “Statement” about the matter:

“CODA Automotive is committed to safety and has voluntarily recalled*78 of its 2012 CODA model year vehicles within the VIN range of 53G1U4A48CB000026 to 53G1U4A48CB000260. The recall campaign was issued because of the potential that the side curtain airbags in certain vehicles may not deploy as intended due to an improper installation. Certain 2012 model year CODA vehicles may have this condition. There are no known injuries related to this recent discovery. CODA Automotive holds itself to the highest safety standards and continually strives to offer the most reliable product for its consumers.”

Now, I’ll ask you, how many tens of thousands of these vehicles were supposed to have been sold by now? Well, I’ll answer you: SEVERAL! And yet this recall notice shows just how unpopular this product is, even though I can think of at least four huge subsidies the government grants to its owners.

Oh, but what’s this, it’s a non-crappy electric car what’s cheaper than anything from Coda. It’s a Nissan Leaf, which the Coda people have been criticizing for years. Oh well. Anyway, adorable, non?

BTW, 35,000 LEAFs have been sold so far, worldwide.

So, CODA, why don’t you take your assets and try to give them to the govmint to make up for all that you have cost us?

Solyndra shut itself down, so can you!

*This recall is a nothingburger, really. I mean, my giant Toyota doesn’t have side-curtain airbags and nobody’s recalling it, right? The recall notice is important because it gives us a clue to CODA’s abysmal sales….

“The company even brought its chief executive from China. Coda hired Philip Murtaugh in 2011, a former top executive at the Chinese operations of General Motors and Chrysler. At the 2011 Los Angeles auto show, Mr. Murtaugh expressed concern over the reception for the car’s styling in the American market. First produced nearly about a decade ago, it gives the impression of a knockoff copy of a Y2K Nissan Sentra or Honda Civic. “The vehicle was chosen three years ago,” he told me. “I came in nine months ago. We couldn’t change it.”

And then there’s this, the primary selling feature in some of the Coda ads, the large trunk:

“Yes, the trunk is cavernous, but I would gladly give up three inches of trunk depth for more legroom in the back seat.”

(The reason why the trunk is so big is that the Coda Sedan is actually a two-decade-old Mitsubishi Carisma designed for the European market, which, at the time, was in need of a little car with a big-ass trunk. Things didn’t work out, so the factory was shipped to China. I’m srsly.)

OK. Moving on.

To this:

“…difficult to accept the shortcomings of the Coda at its current price, despite its ability to grant 100 miles on a single charge.”

I’ve been telling you about this venture, this unholy alliance of Goldman Sachs execs (the people who brought us the failed WebVan, srsly, the same exact people), assorted federal government hangers-on (bureaucrats who know nothing about cars, electricity, or batteries or whatever), the People’s Republic of China, and other ne’er-do wells, for years now.

And then when the car comes out and its time for the Big Review from the sainted NYT (which had been pretty positive on this issue of this piece of junk), Coda Automotive gets a thumbs down.

Oh well.

That’s not much to show considering all the government subsidies this company is getting.

(And, mind you, this is after they lowered the MSRP down from the originally-planned $45,000(!), as I and host of others (the so-called haters) have been suggesting for a good long time.)

But at least twenty people in Benicia have jobs at the final assembly plant what are paying In-and-Out level wages….

“Nissan & Infiniti Open New Dealerships In Downtown San Francisco – Unique Dealerships Owned and Operated by Penske Automotive Group

SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2012 — Expanding into a key sales market that is known for a strong interest in leading-edge technology and environmentally smart products, Nissan and Infiniti have appointed a new Nissan dealer and a new Infiniti dealer in the heart of downtown San Francisco.

The new dealerships are located on Van Ness Ave., one of the Bay Area’s most famous and well-traveled automotive retail corridors. Both dealerships are owned and operated by one of the largest automotive retailers in the world – Penske Automotive Group (NYSE: PAG).

“Infiniti and Nissan products and brands directly align with San Francisco’s unique customer profile, making this effort a strategic element of our plan to grow sales volume in the U.S.,” said Brian Carolin, senior vice present of Sales and Marketing for Nissan North America, Inc. “The 100-percent electric Nissan LEAF has already surpassed 11,000 sales in the U.S. alone. Along with the forthcoming Infiniti LE all-electric luxury sedan, we will make a defining statement in a region known for innovation and technology leadership. We are excited to be represented in such a dramatic way by a leading retailer like Penske Automotive Group in this pivotal market.”

The opening of the new dealerships will help contribute further to Nissan and Infiniti’s sales and market share gains in the U.S. market. In 2011, the Nissan Division posted its best-ever U.S. sales year – up 17.3 percent over the previous year – and Infiniti continues to gain ground. Nissan North America, Inc reported its March 2012 sales of 136,317 units versus 121,141 units a year earlier, an increase of 12.5 percent, and a record for any month in the company’s history.

“I’m very pleased to offer the Nissan and Infiniti brands in world-class, state-of-the-art dealerships in San Francisco,” said Penske Automotive Group Chairman Roger Penske. “Our new facilities are unrivaled within the city offering an array of automotive services, including sales, service, parts, vehicle preparation and delivery areas all under one roof.”

Nissan of San Francisco and Infiniti of San Francisco are located in the Ellis Brooks Building – which opened for vehicle sales in 1935. The 8-story, 200,000-square-foot complex is unparalleled by any other dealership in the San Francisco marketplace and is one of the largest automobile retailing locations in the United States. The building was completely renovated to provide distinct representation for each brand, and features multiple levels of indoor new and pre-owned vehicle display, service, maintenance and retail parts area, separately branded showrooms, front entrances and signage.

1. OK, has the Wikipedia entry been scrubbed of any negative information? You, Gentle Reader, make the call. (The context is that the battery capacity and range claims made these past months and years aren’t coming true but there’s no mention of these things in Wiki, oh well. Wiki’s good for Coda though, cause their people can just pop on in and change things to erase history.)

3. But now come the long-promised “green jobs” to the North Bay region of the Bay Area. What was the promise, that there’d be 50 to start and 200 soon thereafter? Well, take a look at the help wanted pages, below. A couple-dozen people slapping a direct-from-China battery into a direct-from-China car does not an American car factory make, right people?

Anywho, Gentle Reader, if you want to get up to speed on the crappiest, broken-promisest electric car company in the world, click here and keep reading.

Oh, but what’s this, it’s a non-crappy electric car what’s cheaper than anything from Coda. It’s a Nissan Leaf, which the Coda people have been criticizing for years. Oh well. Anyway, adorable, non?

A full-time position is available, with immediate effect, for a Production Manager.

ABOUT CODA AUTOMOTIVE: Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, CODA Holdings is a leading developer of advanced Lithium-ion power battery systems comprised of three key divisions: CODA Automotive, CODA EV Propulsion Systems and CODA Energy. Together with its JV partners, CODA is working to reduce dependence on oil and leading the way to a cleaner future through its electric vehicles and stationary energy storage products. With segment leading range, the CODA vehicle is a zero emission four-door, five-passenger sedan with a full-size trunk that is designed to meet American drivers’ daily transportation needs. For more information on the CODA, visit www.codaautomotive.com.

JOB DESCRIPTION: The Production Manager will be located in Benicia, CA. and will manage the final assembly process. The position will be responsible for managing a dynamic repair process that in NOT paced by a conveyor line.

RESPONSIBILITIES: • Inventory control – Manage & replenish all planned components and supporting repair parts • Develop Process Sheets for Assembly Processes and Repair processes • Communicate and elevate quality issues to China Assembly, Engineering, Supply Chain and the field service organizations • React quickly to Field Service Customer issues and institute immediate countermeasures • Oversee the Contract Assembler Financial invoices and verify correct charges • Proactively work with the Contract Assembler to continuously improve quality, velocity of units through the process and reduce the total costs • Supervise 2 Salary employees and indirectly manage 20 contract assemblers • Manage Vehicle inventory and the process flow • Contribute, Lead and instigate team problem solving at all levels • Constant training for all team members to ensure assembly and repair proficiency Challenge Contract assembly company for continuous improvement in Quality, Through-put and Cost reduction.

Kindly respect our recruitment process and do not use any other method to apply. Thank you in advance for your attention to this important detail. Only qualified candidates will be contacted for preliminary interviews.

The policy and practice of CODA Automotive require that entry into employment and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each particular job. Subject to statutory provisions, no applicant or member of staff will be treated less favorably than another because of his or her gender, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, religion or belief, racial group, age or disability. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration.

TO ALL RECRUITMENT AGENCIES: CODA Automotive does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, CODA Automotive employees, or any other company location. CODA Automotive is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Company Description

Coda Automotive is a manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, zero-emissions cars and battery transportation systems. Formed under the stewardship of entrepreneur Miles Rubin (known for his marketing and sales of neighborhood electric fleet vehicles under the Miles Electric Vehicles brand) in 2009, Coda engineers, brands, markets and distributes electric vehicles. The company’s manufacturing partnership strategy allows Coda to avoid the traditionally capital-intensive nature of the automobile business. Coda Automotive’s first vehicle, highway commuter sedan, is now being delivered to California consumers.”

Now the people at CODA have been trying to get the cost down from $45k for a while now so the Sedan is coming out with a lower price, but both varieties of Coda’s cars are still more expensive than a thoroughly modern vehicle from a manufacturer what knows what it’s doing like, I don’t know, the Leaf and Nissan?